National Spelling Bee adds vocabulary and lightning-round tiebreaker for 2021

• National bee has ended in tie in four of past six competitions
• Controversial rule changes meant to identify single champion
• Last year's bee canceled for first time since second world war
• Quiz: Can you beat former National Spelling Bee champions?

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is undergoing a major overhaul to ensure it can identify a single champion, adding vocabulary questions and a lightning-round tiebreaker to this year's pandemic-altered competition.

The 96-year-old bee has in the past included vocabulary on written tests but never in the high-stakes oral competition rounds, where one mistake eliminates a speller. The only previous tiebreaker to determine a single champion was a short-lived extra written test that never turned out to be needed.